PC tips: Go green, save green
Use these tips to conserve energy, reduce energy bills and your carbon footprint.
If you’re running Windows on your PC, you can save some green (as well as reduce your carbon footprint) by following some simple advice and setting your desktop or laptop computer to sleep during periods of inactivity. Microsoft offers some cool tips:
Turning off a PC: FAQ
PC Sleep and Hibernation: FAQ
According to Microsoft, sleep mode on a desktop computer uses only about 10% of the power required if you just left the machine on, while mobile computers could use as little as 1 to 2% of their battery power per hour when in sleep mode. Microsoft also explains the differences between sleep, hibernation, and hybrid sleep modes–in case you don’t already know.
At energystar.gov, you can find this neat free program called EZ Wizard that will help you enable power management features on your monitor and computer in just a few minutes.
The first is an exe program that will automatically configure your sleep settings and monitor (the program, which only works on Windows XP and 2000, can be run directly from here.) You can also find manual instructions for Vista, which can also be directly accessed at here.
